PC7 Officer of the Month

The officers assigned to the Cockeysville Precinct strive to provide the best service possible to our residents and community members. Each month an officer who has gone “above and beyond” in providing this service is selected by the Precinct Commander, Captain J. M. Lurz and given appropriate recognition. Many times, several officers will exceed the requirements making for a very tough decision on the Commander’s part.

Each officer assigned to the Cockeysville Precinct, upon receiving the Officer of the Month Award will be showcased on this page. This page will include the last eleven award winners. The Officer of the Month Award and Certificate is presented by Captain Lurz on the fourth Wednesday of each month during the monthly Police Community Relations Council Meeting.

All Officer of the Month Award information is obtained from the nomination form and may be adapted to improve readability.

December 2009

Officer Jeffery Snyder
Officer Lee Kitchens
Officer Dennis Badham
Officer Ronald Jones

On December 30, 2009, an armed robbery took place at the McDonald's Restaurant located at the Cranbrook Shopping Center. A description of the vehicle was given out by Police Dispatch as a silver Nissan Maxima that was traveling towards York Road. Upon receiving the description, Officer Kitchens, in Car 727, observed the vehicle on Padonia Road near Beaver Dam Road headed towards I-83. At this time, Officer Kitchens was unable to catch up to the suspect vehicle. Officer Kitchens then observed Officer Snyder operating Car 1461, a white unmarked unit, a few car lengths behind the suspect vehicle and advised him of its location in the slow lane approaching the traffic signal at Beaver Dam Road. Officer Snyder pulled up behind the suspect and attempted to conduct a traffic stop. The suspect vehicle after appearing to slow down, then sped up and took off onto I-83. Officer Snyder initiated a pursuit with additional units assisting. Upon entering Shawan Road, one of the occupants of the suspect vehicle threw a gun out of the window near the Hunt Valley Marriott Hotel. Officer Kitchens then dropped out of the pursuit to recover the weapon for evidence. The pursuit continued onto McCormick Road to Beaver Dam Road and then onto Padonia Road. As the vehicles approached Padonia Road, the suspect vehicle then jumped the center median twice to try and elude his pursuers. At this point, Officer Snyder's vehicle became disabled and the pursuit was taken over by Officer Badham in Car 729. The pursuit continued until reaching the dead end of Padonia Road at which time the occupants of the suspect vehicle bailed out and ran. Officer Badham was then able to capture and arrest one suspect. As the bailout occurred, Officer Jones in Car 7174 arrived and after a short foot chase, captured and arrested the second suspect. Later investigation revealed the identity of a third suspect. Officer Kitchens is commended for first spotting the suspect vehicle and alerting Officer Snyder as well as then stopping and securing the gun. The gun was later found to be fully loaded, thus Officer Kitchens also prevented what could have been a public safety issue.  Officer Snyder is commended for his actions in initiating the pursuit and keeping all other units advised on the suspect's actions. It was his observations that verified the location of where the gun was thrown out. Officer Badham is commended for his smooth transition in picking up the pursuit when Officer Snyder's vehicle became disabled and his capture of the first suspect. Officer Jones is commended for his immediate arrival at the bailout scene and his quick capture of the second suspect. Officer Jones's quick action helped to protect Officer Badham and to prevent possible harm to him from a third unknown suspect that may have been armed. 

November 2009

None selected

October 2009

Officer Thomas Yi

Officer Yi was selected for his outstanding month in dealing with the traffic enforcement aspect of his patrol responsibilities. Officer Yi arrested two suspended drivers after "looking beyond" the routine traffic stop by fully checking out the drivers and their driving records. He also cleared a telephone Misuse case. In addition to writing eleven warnings and two safety equipment repair orders, Officer Yi wrote 23 percent of the traffic enforcement for his patrol shift.

Officer Yi maintains a positive attitude and is very proactive in his patrol responsibilities.

September 2009

Officer Jason Lentz

On September 9, 2009, Officer Lentz of the midnight shift was on routine patrol in the Pretty Boy Dam area of the precinct when he observed a silver four door sedan parked at the dam. The vehicle was parked in front of a sign that read, "No Parking After Dark". Officer Lentz upon approaching the vehicle observed three males standing near it. At this time Officer Lentz noticed that one of the males was attempting to conceal something within the vehicle. This male was identified as the driver and was asked if by Officer Lentz if he could search the vehicle for contraband. After consent was given, the vehicle was searched and a marijuana pipe containing residue, along with a pill bottle containing 38 pills. The pills were found to be Addreall, a Controlled Dangerous Substance (CDS). After admitting that the drugs were his, Officer Lentz then placed the driver under arrest. The driver was subsequently charged. 

Again while on routine patrol, Officer Lentz observed a white Ford van stopped on the on-ramp of I-83 and York Road. Further investigation by Officer Lentz found that the driver was passed out behind the wheel. The driver after waking up, exhibited signs of intoxication and was then arrested for Driving While Under the Influence (DUI).

During the month, Officer Lentz also cleared a Domestic Abuse case.

In addition, Officer Lentz also wrote eight traffic citations, eighteen traffic warnings, one parking citation four safety equipment repair orders, and eight field interrogation reports.

Officer Claire Brumfitt

During the month of September, a second officer was declared a co-winner for Officer of the Month. Officer Brumfitt has just recently transferred into our precinct. This month, Officer Brumfitt cleared four felony cases resulting in six arrests. The most notable case had three arrests for Armed Robbery with a Gun. Clearing a case for Attempted First Degree Murder resulted in two additional arrests. Off. Brumfitt obtained her sixth arrest for the month when she cleared two Grand Theft cases.

During the month, Officer Brumfitt wrote three traffic citations, nine warnings, one safety equipment repair order and three field interrogation reports. Officer Brumfitt ended her month by clearing three misdemeanor cases with two arrests and served one arrest warrant.

Officer Brumfitt has made a very successful entrance  while learning the area and patrol posts.

August 2009

Officer Jeffery Snyder
Officer Richard Croft

On, Monday, August 11, 2009, Officers Snyder and Croft were working routine traffic enforcement  and patrol in the Hunt Valley area. About 2:00 p.m. the M & T Bank located at York Road and Ridgely Road was held up. Police dispatch soon provided a description of a suspect, suspect vehicle and a Pennsylvania registration plate. Dispatch later updated the vehicle description advising that the vehicle had been stolen in Pennsylvania. Anticipating that the suspect may try using I-83 as a route of escape, both officers set up an observation point on I-83 at Shawan Road. Officer Snyder first sighted the vehicle traveling north on I-83 and then contacted Officer Croft to confirm the sighting. Both officers then initiated a felony stop on I-83 just north of Shawan Road and were backed up by Officer Michael Snyder, the Dulaney High School Resource Officer. The stop then led to the arrest of the subject, along with the stolen money and the hold-up note that was used. Further investigation revealed that the suspect was wanted for an additional bank robbery in Pennsylvania and had just been released from prison.

During the month of August, Officer Snyder of the Cockeysville Precinct Traffic Team wrote one hundred and 24 pieces of enforcement, handled seventeen traffic crashes, five traffic details, and other various related assignments.

Officer Croft, the School Resource Officer for Loch Raven High School, while the school was on summer break was assisting both the Traffic Team and the precinct's Community outreach Team.

July 2009

None Selected

June 2009

None Selected

May 2009

Officer Joshua Harding

On May 3, 2009, Officer Harding was contacted by a victim of a First Degree Rape. He was advised by the victim that she had believed that her assailant had called her several times on the telephone. She also believed that the voice of her assailant sounded very much like her neighbor. Officer Harding through his investigation contacted departmental resources to procure and then protect the electronic evidence while also contacting the special victim's unit. After identifying a suspect, a background investigation revealed past crimes for sex offenses. The additional investigation led to a search warrant for a DNA sample from the suspect. During testing, the DNA sample was a positive match. This match then led to additional search warrants that soon led to the arrest of the neighbor suspect in the case.

April 2009

Officer Ramon Geigel

Officer Geigel, on April 7, 2009, responded to a call of an assault with a gun. The incident involved a mother and her son. The mother, who was the suspect, has had issues with the police in the past involving another assault with a gun incident. Upon arrival, the mother was found standing in her doorway and was promptly detained by back-up officers. When interviewed, the son indicated that his mother still had possession of the gun and a tape recorder. After the interview, Officer Geigel returned to where the woman was standing which was near a garbage can. As Officer Geigel approached her, the woman then tried to leave walking towards a neighbors property. Upon reaching the woman, Officer Geigel looked into the uncovered garbage can next to her and observed a revolver sitting on a garbage bag inside the can. The revolver was later found to be a .38 caliber Smith and Wesson and was unloaded. The woman was subsequently arrested and charged with threatening her son with the gun.

During the month, Officer Geigel also cleared a First Degree Burglary, and two Domestic Abuse cases. Officer Geigel also wrote four traffic citations, eight warnings, eleven safety equipment repair orders, one parking citation, five field interrogation reports, and served two protective orders.

March 2009

Officer Barry Lockett

Officer Lockett responded to a burglary call in the 19,700 block of Kirkwood Shop Road. The homeowner advised that she had received a call from her credit card company in reference to strange activity on her credit card. When she examined her wallet, the home owner found that nothing else was missing. She still had her license and all of her other cards etc. Later, while using her computer, the home owner observed that web sites were accessed that she had never seen before and involved young children. Upon further exploration, the home owner then found a known subject's e-mail address logged in that should not have been there. The home owner advised that she knew that this subject was also a known registered sex offender. Officer Lockett, being familiar with the subject initiated an investigation. Several weeks later, the home owner was again a victim of a burglary and found that the same subject had again logged onto her computer while she was not at home. After obtaining the locations from the credit card company where the credit card was used, Officer Lockett was able to obtain a video of a transaction that took place at the Shrewsbury, Pennsylvania Wal-Mart. After conducting further investigation that included a photo show, Officer Lockett was able to charge the subject with burglary, theft, and credit card misuse. Through his diligence and efforts, Officer Lockett was able to remove a local sex offender from the neighborhood.

February 2009

None Selected

January 2009

Officer Gregory Roberts

Officer Roberts through his determination, persistence, and simple basic “leg work” cleared a home invasion resulting in the arrest of three suspects. On January 20, 2009, Officer Roberts responded to the scene in the unit block of Mullingar Court, Timonium, Maryland as the primary investigating officer. At this time, at least four subjects had forced their way into the residence. While investigating numerous other criminal offences including burglary, attempted robbery, and assault, he was able to develop information on some suspects. Officer Robert’s investigation moved over into the Parkville Precinct and resulted in three arrests. During the arrests at the Parkville location, Officer Roberts also discovered and seized narcotics. While working on this investigation, Officer Roberts was assisted by the Cockeysville Precinct’s Investigative Services Team (IST). Through their assistance, search warrants were then obtained and served at various additional locations countywide. After spending over 16 hours of overtime, the case was passed on to the IST resulting in the development of several more suspects. Through the perseverance of Officer Roberts, several suspects were arrested and intelligence information on local drug activity was uncovered.

Additional accomplishments for Officer Roberts during the month were one Driving Under the Influence arrest, two additional narcotics arrests, a First Degree Assault arrest, and two Second Degree Assaults that were Ex-Cleared.

Officer Roberts also wrote six traffic citations, one warning, three equipment repair orders, and seven Field Interrogation Reports.

Revised February 16, 2010